Child&#39;s unitary garment with changeable front panel

ABSTRACT

A garment is provided with a removable panel on the front which can be replaced with a another panel. The removable front panel is attached releasably to the body portion so as to form a complete garment. When the front panel is removed, the body portion remains wearable. The garment allows for removal of a soiled front panel and replacement thereof with a clean, fresh, and/or coordinating panel without undergoing a complete change of the garment.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims benefit of U.S. provisional application60/563,055 filed Apr. 15, 2004, which is incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention relates generally to garments and particularly those of atype commonly worn by infants and children of unitary constructionwherein the pants and top are integrated, such as a one-piece body suit.

BACKGROUND ART

Challenges exist in dressing and undressing infants and children as wellas in keeping infants and children in clothing that is clean and dry.Children can be challenging to dress and undress because some clothingis difficult to put in place on the child, for example, shirts with neckholes too small to comfortably accommodate a child's large head, and/orbecause the child simply does not like the dressing or undressing.Infants and children also have a tendency to drool and spill food onclothing to such an extent that a change of clothing is required.

Various articles, such as bibs, are known in the art for the protectiongarments from soiling, for example, when food is being eaten or whendental procedures are being performed. Bibs are particularly useful inprotecting clothing from spit and/or saliva that frequently dribblesfrom an infant's mouth, in shielding clothing from food spilled and/orspit during feeding an infant or small child, and in shielding clothingfrom vomit. Generally, bibs are separate napkin-like accessories whichare provided with fastening means for releasably attaching the bibsaround an the wears' necks. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,427,240,5,911,311, 5,802,610, 5,490,289, 5,432,952, and 2,643,384. In addition,garments are known in which a bib is attached to the main body of thegarment. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,216,269, 6,032,287, 5,153,940, 4,754,500, 4,639,946, and 1,095,476. Although extensively used,bibs can be moved and twisted around by the wearer becoming an irritantboth to the wearer and to a wearer's companion or guardian, responsiblefor maintaining the cleanliness of the wearer and the wearer's clothing.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the invention is to provide a garment with a removablepanel on the front which can be replaced with a another panel. Theinvention allows for removal of a soiled front panel and replacementthereof with a clean, fresh, and/or coordinating panel withoutundergoing a complete change of the garment.

Accordingly, in one embodiment, the invention comprises a unitarygarment including a body portion and a removable chest panel attachedreleasably to the body portion. The body portion of the garment includesan opposing pair of complete arm receiving openings. The chest panel isreleasably attached to the body portion through a multiplicity offastening means on the overlapping edges of the chest panel and the bodyportion. Releasing at least some of the fastening means on the chestpanel and body portion generally allows for access to the wearer's bodybeneath the garment and/or for ease of positioning of the garment overthe wearer's head.

The unitary garment of the invention is incomplete when the chest panelis completely detached from the body portion, that is an open space inthe garment is present where the chest panel would be attached. Theremovable chest panel is constructed to complete the unitary garmentwhen attached to the body portion of the garment. However, to facilitatechanging of the chest panel, the body portion of the garment alone iswearable when the chest panel is completely detached from the bodyportion. By “wearable” is meant that the body portion of the garment,without the chest panel being attached thereto, is capable of beingworn, for example, with the wearer's arms through the arm receivingopenings and so as the back of the wearer remains continuously coveredby the worn body portion even with the chest panel detached.

The replaceability of the front panel is advantageous in that itfacilitates changing of the portion of the garment most often soiled bya small child without requiring the change of the entire outfit. It isbeneficial, for example, when clothing a small child who is cuttingteeth and is prone to getting the front of his or her clothing soiledfrom drool or in other situations when the child is engaging inactivities, such as eating and/or spitting, where the front of thegarment is likely to become dirty. According to the invention, thesoiled front panel may be detached and replaced with a new clean frontpanel.

The invention is also useful where it is desirable to change the look ofthe garment being worn without having to change the entire outfit orgarment. This provides stylistic and/or seasonal variety with thepurchase of fewer clothes.

The removable front panel may be any shape as long as the front paneleffectively covers the opening in the body portion. In some instances,the removable front panel is generally the same shape as the opening inthe body portion to which the front panel attaches, but the front panelis slightly larger than the corresponding body portion opening and hasmarginal edges which overlap the lapel edges of the body portion. Thelarger dimension allows the front panel to lay over or under the lapeledge of the body portion (i.e., panel edges to remain on the outside ofthe garment or panel edges placed on the inside of the garment,respectively) so that it may be fastened thereto. Alternatively, theremovable front panel may be a shape different than that of the openingin the body portion. A front panel of a shape other than the opening inthe body portion, for example, star-shaped, geometric-shaped,animal-shaped, provides the garment with fun and attractive appearancealternatives. In any case, when the front panel is properly in place,the garment effectively shields the wearer's body from food, saliva, andother soiling material that contacts the front panel.

The removable front panel is attached to the body portion of the garmentat edges of each intended to be overlapping and detachably secured toeach other. Fastening means may be of any suitable type, including, butnot limited thereto, a pair of cooperating male and female snapfasteners, a pair of cooperating hook and loop fasteners, for exampleVELCRO, a cooperating button and button hole, or a cooperating pair ofties. Each fastening means, regardless of type, has a member on thelapel edge of the body portion on the side which contacts or faces theremovable front panel, and a member on the marginal edge of the frontpanel which contacts or faces the body portion. In instances when asingle body portion is accompanied by more than one removable frontpanel, the fasteners are all located in corresponding places on eachpanel, so that any number of panels are interchangeable on the garment.

A multiplicity of fasteners are used to effectively attach the frontpanel to the body portion. Accordingly, in some embodiments, the garmentincludes more than 4, more than 5, more than 6, more than 7, more than8, more than 9, more than 10, more than 11, more than 12, more than 15,more than 20, or more than 25 cooperating pairs of fasteners to attachthe front panel to the body portion. In some embodiments, the garmentincludes fewer than 30, fewer than 25, fewer than 20, fewer than 15,fewer than 12, fewer than 11, fewer than 10, fewer than 9, less than 8,fewer than 7, fewer than 6, or fewer than 5 cooperating pairs offasteners to attach the front panel to the body portion. In someembodiments, all of the fastening means for attaching a front panel to abody portion are all of the same type, for example, all snap fasteners.In some embodiments, the fastening means for attaching a front panel toa body portion are of more than one type, for example, cooperating pairsof snap fasteners and cooperating pairs of hook and loop fasteners.

Generally, the removable front panel has a neck contour foraccommodatingly conforming to the shape of the neck of the wearer. Thegarment may include sleeves or may be constructed without sleeves. Thegarment may include leg coverings or may be constructed without legcoverings. Leg coverings may have an integral soft shoe or sockportions. Thus, the form of the unitary garment of the inventionincludes, but is not limited to, a romper and a sleeper. In someinstances, the body portion of the garment includes an opening in thecrotch area with the opposing sides of the opening attached releasablyto each other with fastening means such as cooperating pairs of snap andother fasteners described herein. Having portions of the crotch areaattached releasably provides access to a diaper or undergarments withoutremoval of the entire garment and facilitates dressing and undressingthe wearer in the garment.

In some embodiments, the removable front panel includes a fabric layerand a fluid resistant layer. Fabric of the front panel includes, but isnot limited to, highly absorbent fabric and washable fabric. Fluidresistance can be provided to the front panel by a variety of meansincluding treatment of at least one face of the panel with a fluidresistance material as by coating, by laminating or otherwise attachinga plastic material or sheeting. For example, a plastic layer may be heatbonded to a fabric layer in conventional manner or simply sewn together.In some instances, the front panel may have a laminate structure wherethe two or more layers are everywhere mutually interconnected. In someinstances, the panel may have a laminate structure comprising an outerinner and an inner layer of fabric with a middle layer of fluidresistance material therebetween. Fabric of the front panel may betreated to be stain resistant.

The front panel may be formed with a layer of a fluid resistant materialbeing sufficiently gas-permeable or “breathable” to be comfortable forthe wearer. For example, the material may be SUPPLEX™ brand nylon of theDupont Corporation, provided with a highly water-resistant coating, suchas Dupont's TEFLON™ brand microporous coating, combined with a DUREPEL™anti-stain finish treatment of Burlington Industries. Such materialretains a soft hand, but provides a high degree of water repellency andstain resistance. Such a nylon layer of the panel may be backed by acontiguous layer of a soft and absorbent material, such as apolyester/cotton broadcloth, which adds body to the construction andeliminates the tendency of TEFLON™-treated materials to lift away fromthe underlying surface.

The removable front panel includes an outer face of a selected designand material matched with a selected design and material of the outerface of the body portion. Matched designs and materials for the outerface of the panel and body portion include those that are the same andthose that are different, but complementary, for the panel and bodyportions. In some instances, material used for the outer face, outerlayer, inner face and/or inner layer of the removable front panel isselected to provide the wearer with additional warmth.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front view of a complete child's garment with an attachedfront panel in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of a body portion of a child's garment inaccordance with the present invention. The cross-hatched markingindicates the opening in the body portion in the absence of the frontpanel.

FIG. 3 is a front view of a body portion of a child's garment inaccordance with the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a front view of a removable front panel of a garment inaccordance with the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a front perspective view of a sleeveless body portion of achild's garment in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of an exemplary frontpanel.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION THE INVENTION

Referring more particularly to the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates anexemplary complete garment of the present invention, generallydesignated 10, which includes a body portion 12 and a removable,replaceable front panel 14 having 19 pairs of cooperating snap fasteners16 spaced and provided around the marginal edge 18 of the front panel 14which overlaps the lapel edge 20 of the body portion 12 of the garment.The front panel 14 extends across the chest area of the garment.

The marginal edge 18 of the front panel 14 are provided withcomplimentary fasteners 16 a which engage with the fasteners 16 b of thelapel edge 20 of the body portion 12 to secure the front panel in place.Fasteners are generally positioned at the shoulders and where the frontpanel aligns with the body portion. Accordingly, no fasteners areprovided at the neck contour 22. The front panel is readily replacedonce the panel becomes soiled or if a change in the appearance of thegarment is desired. The fasteners could be other than snaps aspreviously described herein.

FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary body portion, generally designated 12,of the complete garment 10, FIG. 1. The body portion 12 is includessleeves 24 but is without the front panel 14, FIG. 1, as indicated bythe cross-hatched marking. In this example, the body portion of thegarment without the front panel is wearable since the sleeves hold thebody portion on the wearer's body.

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary body portion 12 with 20 snap fasteners16 b spaced and provided around the lapel edge 20 of the body portion.The snap fasteners on the body portion are each one of a pair snapfasteners that cooperatively and releasably connect to attach the frontpanel 14 to the body portion 12 of the garment 10, FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary front panel 14 with a neck contour 22and 20 snap fasteners 16 b spaced and provided around the marginal edge18 of the panel. The snap fasteners on the front panel are each one of apair of snap fasteners that cooperatively and releasably connect toattach the front panel 14 to the body portion 12 of the garment 10, FIG.1.

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary body portion 12 without sleeves andwithout the front panel 14, FIG. 1, and with 20 snap fasteners 16 bspaced and provided around the lapel edge 20 of the body portion. Inthis example, the body portion of the garment without the front panel iswearable since the fabric of the body portion at the shoulders 26 holdsthe body portion on the wearer's body when the wearer's arms are in thearm receiving openings 28.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example of a laminate construction of theremovable front panel which may be used in conjunction with any of thedescribed embodiments. The panel 30 has a laminate construction whereina fluid resistant plastic sheet or backing layer 32 is applied to oneside of an adjacent fabric layer 34. In such an embodiment, the outerlayer 34 may be structured of a towel-like cloth material, while theinner layer 32 may be structured of a plastic sheet material that isbonded to the cloth material, or structured of a plastic coating that isapplied to the outer layer. In some instances, the removable front panel30 is configured so that the inner layer 32 faces toward the body of thewearer. In this laminate structure, the inner layer 32 serves to preventliquids from penetrating through the front panel 30, while the outerlayer 34 slows and eventually absorbs spills as they run down theoutside of the front panel 30. In this configuration, the outward facinglayer provides a decorative garment while the inward facing layershields the wearer from becoming wet or soiled.

In another embodiment, the front panel has a laminate structure composedof a liquid impermeable outer layer and a fabric inner layer. Forexample, the inner layer may be structured of a towel-like clothmaterial, while the outer layer may be structured of a plastic sheetmaterial that is bonded to the cloth material, or structured of aplastic coating that is applied to the inner layer. In thisconfiguration, the outer layer serves to prevent liquids frompenetrating through the front panel, while the inner layer provides acomfortable layer for the wearer. In instances where the fluid resistantlayer is facing outward, that layer may be made of a transparentmaterial such that the underlying decorative fabric layer is visiblethrough the fluid resistant layer, retaining the attractive appearanceof the garment.

In some embodiments, the garment can be configured such that each sideof the front panel can alternatively face toward the body of the wearer.In such instances, the fastening means on the front panel must permiteach side of the panel to be attached releasably to the body portion ofthe garment.

Although the invention has been described in terms of particularembodiments and applications, one of ordinary skill in the art, in lightof this teaching, can generate additional embodiments and modificationswithout departing from the spirit of or exceeding the scope of theclaimed invention. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the drawingsand descriptions herein are preferred by way of example to facilitatecomprehension of the invention and should not be construed to limit thescope thereof.

1. A unitary garment, comprising: a) a body portion, and b) a removablechest panel attached releasably to the body portion, the body portionhaving an opposing pair of complete arm receiving openings, the chestpanel constructed to complete the unitary garment when attached to thebody portion and to be completely separable from the body portion whendetached, the chest panel releasably attached to the body portionthrough a multiplicity of fastening means on the overlapping edges ofthe chest panel and the body portion.
 2. The garment of claim 1, whereinthe fastening means are of a single type.
 3. The garment of claim 1,wherein the fastening means are selected from the group consisting ofsnaps, hook and loop fasteners, and buttons.
 4. The garment of claim 1,wherein the chest panel is fluid resistant.
 5. The garment of claim 1,wherein the chest panel has a laminate structure including a fabriclayer and a fluid resistant layer fixed to the fabric layer.
 6. Thegarment of claim 5, wherein the fabric layer is liquid absorbent andfaces outward when the chest panel is in place on the garment.
 7. Thegarment of claim 1, wherein the outer face of the chest panel and thebody portion are of different material.